Going into the night, there were two big unknowns: the number of people that would show up, and whether the artist was going to make an appearance. When 2,300 Members came, we were thrilled. And when the Takashi Murakami himself walked into the lobby, it was icing on the cake. He graciously shook hands, took pictures, and signed invitations (as you can see below) for over an hour, and our Members couldn’t have been happier. Maybe we should do exhibitions of living artists more often!

If you didn’t make it to the Members opening, the show is now open to the public through July 13. Come and check it out! You never know when the artist could show up…

Nitasha Kawatra worked in Membership at the Brooklyn Museum from April 2008 to November 2010. Known as Tash amongst friends, she was born and raised in Memphis, TN and received her BA in Art History and French from Bowdoin College in Maine. She completed part of her studies in Paris, France and also interned at the La Napoule Art Foundation outside of Cannes. Prior to the Brooklyn Museum, Tash coordinated educational travel programs for members of non-profit institutions. Tash now works in Membership at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.